La Piraterie du Cœur
by bikiniskill
Summary: Set in 1718, Captain Arthur Kirkland of the Mercury is a well-to-do pirate and known for his ruthlessness. Monsieur Francis Bonnefoy, a French aristocrat, pursues Arthur in hopes of joining his crew and is the one person who does not fear him. So Arthur tries to scare him out of it. However, the Frenchman is quite the romantic and finds a way into the heart of the fearsome pirate.
1. Part One - Second Sails

**_"Piracy Of the Heart"_**

 _This is a songfic based on Love How It Hurts by Scouting For Girls. The setting is how Nassau is portrayed in Black Sails. French is included and all necessary translations are at the end of each part._

* * *

 **Part One - Second Sails**

Captain Arthur Kirkland, a name known and feared by many as he would do anything to get what he wanted no matter the cost to those around him. His crew, the most loyal group of blaggards you could have. They were so grateful to have him as their captain, as he made them the richest men in the West Indies at the time. The other pirates wanted to be him, the whores wanted to be with him but the Navy, well they wanted to behead him. Arthur never disclosed how he got those men so rich to anyone but the lads on the island. But the Navy knew. They had been tracking the same riches for YEARS.

The famous treasure of Captain William Kidd, a courageous Scottish pirate that died in 1701, leaving behind millions worth of silver and gold ingots in an unidentified location off the African coast. Arthur however, figured it out after years and years of dedication, study, and scraping by on small prizes. At first, his men hadn't believed him, hell no one on all of their home on New Providence Island believed him. But the day his ship the Mercury had come back from Île Sainte-Marie near Madagascar, he had proved them all wrong, he became the most fearsome pirate of his time.

'SAILS' was yelled from the crow's nest and Captain Kirkland ran atop the deck. The ships Quartermaster, Alfred Jones ran to the wheel to get the telescope which was stood upright beside it, bringing it down and opening it before handing it to the Captain. 'It's a schooner,' the captain stated, deciding the boat was far too small to carry a grand prize 'not worth our time.' He shook his head at the ship's First Mate who was behind the wheel, Arthur's brother, Allistor Kirkland. 'Sir, it may be a small one, but...the flag.' the Quartermaster pointed out as Arthur furrowed his brows in confusion before taking another look through the telescope. The King's flag was raised from the main mast. The Navy. 'Lower the black and get us underway' he yelled to his crew of 10 as he made his way back to his cabin.

Arthur stood before the mirror in his quarter's and just stared at himself. He was a sleek young man, toned body yet not too tall. His hair a short blonde which was slicked back and his slight stubble were an easily recognizable look the man's face always carried. Eyes a deep shade of sea green and prominent eyebrows were mesmerizing to watch, according to one of the whores back in Nassau but Arthur liked to think so too. He hadn't very interesting features but one thing that stood out about his appearance were the scars running up and down his chest that he had received from a man that once kept him prisoner. Arthur was at some times ashamed of them, but other times they gave him great pride.

He wore a long white puffy shirt with sleeves ripped and the ends tucked away beneath the same brown pants the rest of his crew dressed in. He did, however, have a pair of leather boots personalized with his sigil, a skull with a dagger piercing the right eye socket.

As the flag of the ship was lowered and the vessel was turned around to face home, Sadik Adnan up in the crows nest yelled again, 'SAILS'. Sighing, Arthur opened the cabin door and shouted up at him, 'We heard you the first time, Adnan.'

'No. Second sails.' Sadik called back as Alfred re-appeared by the captains' side, telescope in hand. Arthur took it from him and faced it in the direction Sadik had pointed.

This ship was close to land, their land, but there was something off about it. Tilting the telescope upwards, the Captain saw the flag and gasped aloud, 'French. A French merchant.' he distinguished, 'Why is it near New Providence, captain?' asked one of the confused crewmen. 'I have no idea lad, but how's about we board her and grab ourselves a French prize?' he laughed as the men jeered and got ready to set upon the ship. They had enough resources to take the trade vessel but they would have to make some compromises in the act by forgetting about the nearing navy ship that watched them closely.

As the Mercury made way to their prize, the opposite ship stopped. 'Raise the black.' Arthur ordered one of his men as he watched the Frenchmen's reactions through the telescope. They were close, quite close. He saw a few of the men scramble as they noticed the flag go up and a voice came from the starboard side of the boat, 'Vous imbéciles, vous avez peur d'une menace mineure' the French captain yelled at the trembling sailors.

A man with silky blonde hair, long and tied back into a pony tail that reached down to the midpoint between his shoulders. He wore a purple shirt that was similar to Arthur's own but his trousers were white instead of brown. He carried no weapon but did carry a noble brooch on his shirt from the French first class which the Englishman recognized almost immediately. What was a man like him doing in a place like this? Why were they not sailing away in fear?

 _ **I've been waiting**_

 _ **All my life**_

 _ **For someone like you**_

 _ **To come mess with my mind**_

The merchants complied and allowed the pirates to board them, all 6 of the French crew kneeling weaponless in a bunch before Alfred who had his pistol at the ready.

'And where might the captain be?' Arthur asked, chuckling as the blonde man had clearly abandoned his crew to hide in his quarters, which he was right about, as one of the trembling sailors pointed towards the cabin door.

Sighing in sarcasm, 'Too easy' he whispered, slowly opening the door and heading inside, closing it behind him. 'Captain? Where aaare yooou' he singsonged as he looked around the empty room. 'That's Capitaine to you.' a voice, thickly accented came from behind the large desk as the chair was swiveled around. The man sat there, not a care in the world. No weapon, no fear and certainly no boundaries as his shirt lay half off his shoulders.

Icy blue eyes stared at him with a crease in each corner growing as the man broke into a smile, 'Ah, Captain Kirkland. The stories I've heard of you don't even come close to the real deal. It's nice to finally meet you.' The Frenchman stood up from his chair, heading over and extending his hand, expecting it to be shaken. 'Who ARE you?' Arthur asked him, putting his gun away and shaking the man's hand. He had never seen such confidence before and normally he would have already shot him, but this felt different. Something inside him told him not to shoot, but he couldn't tell if it was his head or his heart.

'My name is Francis and I-' the intriguing stranger started before being interrupted, 'Bonnie-foy? What kind of surname is Bonnie-foy?' the Englishman snickered, reading the spelling of his full name from the journal that lay upon the desk. 'It's pronounced _Bonnefwah_ , don't be rude ma douce' the pirate turned up his nose at the pet name as Francis corrected him with a slight hint of annoyance in his tone. 'Anyway, I am here because I want to join your crew if you don't mind. The stories of you impressed me and I want to experience these adventures too. I am quite a big deal back in France if you couldn't already tell, so I have no problem providing money for expeditions or the like.' The man spoke with confidence and nonchalant, although with an accent that Arthur found sometimes hard to make out. 'Wow, full of yourself much? They're not just expeditions, lad. This is a life you have to give up everything for. It's not as pleasant as the stories make it seem you know.'

Arthur didn't like that Francis didn't see the danger or the hardship of the life of a pirate. They faced death almost every day. The chances of poverty, scurvy and being caught by the King's men were ten times larger than those chances would be for a nobleman like him.

'You have it easy already, don't change that for this life.' Arthur informed him, not understanding why the man was so adamant. 'I don't want the first class life, there's no excitement, no adventure. Just the same boring repetition of events every damned day of it. I wish to explore with you and your men. I wish to see the world and to try new things and meet new people. Our native countries are finally getting along, Capitaine, why can't I join you?' Francis almost pleaded, but in his eyes, it was more of a negotiation.

'I don't think you understand what this life involves...' the Pirate trailed off, looking down at the sword in its black and gold scabbard. 'Then show me, mon amour.'

Arthur didn't know why, but this time he wasn't as disgusted with the pet name as he was initially.

* * *

Ma douce - My sweet

Vous imbéciles, vous avez peur d'une menace mineure - You imbeciles, afraid of a minor threat

Capitaine - French for captain lmao

Mon amour - My love


	2. Part Two - Religion Sanctions All

**Part Two - Religion Sanctions All**

Arthur agreed to show Francis the ropes and as soon as he had done so, yells came from the main deck. The two men looked at each other and nodded, running outside immediately to see what all the commotion was about. Flames rose from the sails and were close to reaching the masts. The King's ship they had previously ignored, had pursued them. And they weren't happy.

Alfred, the Mercury's quartermaster had taken the liberty of freeing the French sailors so they'd have more hands to fight the small number of navy men that were actually on board the ship of the enemy. But the Navy had a greater weapon: distance. Chain-shots of mortar flew through the air causing everyone to duck in unison as the pirates slowly made way back to their ship.

Panic stricken Frenchmen ran about as they didn't know what do, not ever being in such a dire situation before. Francis watched in horror as three of his crew members lay, limbless on the deck of their ship, eyes wide and staring into the sky. Everything became slow for him for a moment, never having witnessed such a thing. Sure, he had seen death, but that was natural death from old age and sickness.

This was malice and a sheer hatred for another kind. If a group of people find a small enough reason to hate another group of people, there's no end to the amount of pain it can cause. The British hated pirates for pillaging and murdering so what do they do? They pillage and murder them right back. Fighting crime with crime. Injustice with more injustice.

Francis stood still, his world spinning. He began second guessing the words he told Arthur. He really thought he had seen it all and that nothing could be worse than watching his wife and his partner die. He was very wrong.

Arthur yelled at his men to not fire any shots from their muskets until back aboard the Mercury where they would be closer as he himself headed for the rope to get back onto the ship. He quickly scanned his ship to see if all his men were aboard, but he saw one lad was missing. He didn't know why but his heart began to race with fear of the unknown as he thought of Francis until he turned around, seeing the man stare in terror at the dismembered men on the wooden floor. Making what he figured was the dumbest decision made that day, Arthur went back for him.

'We need to go. **NOW**.' He pulled at Francis' arm and yelled at him, trying to snap him out of the apparent trance he was in. The long haired man looked at him, eyes sullen for a moment before going wide as he screamed, ' **LOOK OUT** ' Francis yelled as he pointed behind Arthur to a giant round shot flinging through the air in their direction. Arthur turned and in the rush of adrenaline, pulled Francis with him to the opposite edge of the boat and pushed him overboard, jumping in behind him as the cannonball hit the ship. Wood flew in every direction and what was left of the vessel collapsed.

The men aboard the Mercury made quick work of the seven naval soldiers aboard the schooner. But afterwards, the sea lay calmly beneath them. No Captain or Frenchman in sight. The men headed back in the direction of Nassau as they mourned the 'death' of the notorious Captain Kirkland and the other crew members who died at the hands of the British.

Arthur had blacked out entirely until dusk when he awoke on a sandy shore with blurred eyes. He rubbed them harshly until his sight became clear and coughed up what water was left in his system. Looking around him, he saw Francis laying a bit to the left of him, completely passed out. The pirate shuffled over to him and turned the man's head to face him. He stared down at him for a few moments before contemplating. 'Am I _seriously_ about to give a _**MAN**_ mouth to mouth?' he was disgusted with himself for a moment, ashamed of just having the thought. 'But he could die if I don't, plus there's no one around, who would even know?' he mentally prepared himself before leaning in slowly.

Eyelashes fluttering, Francis' eyes opened and stared intently up at the pouted lips in front of him. 'I'd much prefer our first kiss to be when I'm actually _conscious_ you know.' he snickered as the Englishman pulled away quickly, utterly embarrassed. 'Kiss? Good lord man have you gone mad? I just thought you might need mouth to mouth, you know, so you wouldn't die and all.' Arthur replied quickly and defensively. '

'Sure, whatever lets you sleep at night.' Francis said sarcastically as he stood up and brushed the sand from his clothes and his hair.

'Besides, I'm not like that. It's a sin.' Arthur looked at him with a repugnant smirk on his face. 'A sin? You must be joking. Who are you to talk to me about sinning if you have murdered, thieved, lied and betrayed the ones you hold dear? You don't get to pick and choose what sins are actually punishable and what sins are not. Murder is a LOT worse than laying with another man. I'm sure you've had your fair share of fantasies about two women together, why is that okay, but when it's two men its considered sodomy? Everyone's a sinner, you know. No one dies innocent. Whether you're a pirate, a soldier or even a priest. Everyone has something they're ashamed of and that something is always some manifestation of what God calls a sin. Religion sanctions all. So if we're going to die here on whatever this island is, you should do it with an open heart and free of judgement.' Francis' reply was a speech that rendered the pirate inarticulate.

Francis spoke with anger, intent and offence, he was hurt that Arthur was just another commoner that follows what a book tells him to do and doesn't think for himself unless it's piracy related. All the Frenchman ever wanted was to have the freedom to be the Francis that brought shame to the common world, and he really thought that someone like Arthur would understand that. When he lost his wife Joan, he found himself infatuated with King Louis XIV before he was coronated. None of these feelings were acted upon until Louis instigated a kiss with him in his quarter's after a meeting. Once crowned King, Louis kept their relationship going but of course, in the utmost of secrecy. Francis sat by his bedside and watched as Louis died of an incurable case of gangrene in 1715.

 _ **Someone crazy**_

 _ **Someone who**_

 _ **Someone who'll love me**_

 _ **The way I loved you**_

'I'm sorry,' Francis looked down at the sand in slight embarrassment, 'I didn't mean to get so angry. I had just hoped you were different. That you would see past my heart, but not many people do so I don't blame you.' he turned around and began walking in the opposite direction, towards the jungle.

'Stop. I should be the one to apologise for never even giving you a chance. I dismissed you from your very first spoken word until I went back for you. You're not part of my crew so I normally would have let you died but something in me told me to go back for you.' Arthur truly did take his words to heart and he felt bad, not pity, but sorrow.

'Let's, let's just find shelter for the night. I'd much rather worry about survival than your approval.' Francis replied, taking his apology but not quite forgiving him. The two men walked for what felt like hours before Arthur needed to stop to take a piss and he accidentally tripped over a rock on his way due to the dark, stumbling upon an empty cave for them to take shelter in.

Building a fire and settling down, Francis spoke softly 'Can we just forget about everything and start anew?' he asked the sleepy pirate, 'Mhm, we can start "anew" in the morning' Arthur slurred in a mocking tone as he closed his eyes and fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

NOTE: This is fiction, I don't mean to offend people of any religion. I'm gay and I was grew up in Catholic Ireland and yeah it's not great but I respect all religions, just not people that use it as an excuse.


	3. Part Three - J'aime Ce Qu'il Fait Mal

**Part Three - J'aime Ce Qu'il Fait Mal**

 **'I Love How It Hurts'**

* * *

Days had slowly gone by as the duo worked themselves to the bone to be able to survive the rash weather and low resources of the island they had been stranded upon. In the middle of what was then the summer, Francis and Arthur had managed to put together a small but hopefully temporary camp for them to take shelter in until they find a way off the island.

Not much had been said between the two, a few general conversations and plans were shared to set up the camp but not much more. Guilt had been eating away at Arthur since he had insulted Francis days before and he intended to set it right and fix what was now a budding friendship but he had no idea as to how he was to go about doing so.

Nightfall had hit on the fourth day since they washed ashore and a bright, gibbous moon shone down upon the stranded men, almost laughing at their unfortunate situation.

Arthur plonked himself down beside Francis on the log they had made into an uncomfortable bench as he stared intently at the glazing fire that warmed both their bodies. The night was cold and they had no blankets or pillows so they needed to improvise for heat.

'What happened to you in France?' Arthur asked him out of the blue.

'What do you mean? I left on my own accord.' the Frenchman was confused by what his question was implying. 'What you said the other day, about sinning and the likes, something obviously must have happened for you to have to explain yourself like that. There's no way that was just a general defense. It was too emotional.' the pirate observed.

Francis sighed deeply as he contemplated, 'I left because of the humiliation. As a nobleman, many things are expected of you in the civilized world. Things like general arrogance, a huge superiority complex and of course, a 'normal' relationship. With a woman. I married my beloved Jeanne but after she passed I was lost, until I found myself again, after a long night. I was cast aside and completely isolated from those I loved after the whole of France had found out about me and some boy from the main brothel in Bordeaux. They jeered and made fun of me, they threw things at me in the streets and at one point, a group of fellow upperclassmen whom I once referred to as my friends, caught me in the marketplace and administered a beating.' he told his story with a sullen tone while giving Arthur all his emotional trust.

'One day,' he continued, 'I received a royal summons from Prince Louis to attend a meeting about the state of the Bordeaux lower class. When I arrived at Versailles however, it turned out he had used the summons as a disguise for us to meet alone together. He told me how sympathetic he was to how I was being treated and that he had two of the men who beat me arrested. I asked him why he did so and he said he had been present at the marketplace on the day of the incident, to give a speech on the issue in the 'summons' I was sent. 'L'amour est inattendu' was his answer. It means 'Love is unexpected.' He kissed me oh so passionately that eve. It was a night I will always remember. Unfortunately, however, when he was coronated King, we had to keep our relationship extra private or lord knows what would have been done with us. I was happy then, even being kept a secret. We were both happy.' he spoke with reminiscence as tears rolled down his now-red cheeks.

'Then, two years later, Louis fell ill with a case of gangrene and just our luck, it was incurable. He had mentioned our relationship discreetly to the doctor so I would be allowed by his bedside while he suffered from the illness and it was fine with him. So I did exactly that, I stayed by his side and held his hand until his very last breath. The last thing he said to me was right before he died, 'Cela fait mal, mais tant que vous êtes ici, j'aime ce qu'il fait sommes des âmes sœurs jusqu'à la fin. Je t'aime et n'ose pas m'oublier.''

 **I keep searching**

 **And what's worse**

 **Now that you're gone**

 **All that's left is the hurt**

Arthur was completely ridden of words. He now felt even worse about insulting him earlier on. 'I am so sorry Francis. I really am. Now that I know the full story, it all seems very romantic if you ask me. I hope my snide remark didn't do too much damage and I hope we can continue our friendship.' Hearing the emotional vulnerability of Francis' story, his entire viewpoint managed to be altered. He thought of all those back in Nassau, he knew some of the girls at the brothel preferred the company of other women and he was quite fine with that. He mentally slapped himself for not realizing sooner that they are of the same standard really.

'You know I've never understood the appeal of men to women, or you.' he snickered as he glared in thought at Francis.

'Well, I don't want to get vulgar at this time. But my initial attraction to anyone is their eyes. I don't know why most people just see me as some sex fiend or pervert because that's not me. I do have a heart you know. Like your eyes. They're such a deep shade of émeraude. I've never seen such a colour before, in France, everyone either has blue or brown eyes. Green is quite rare, but beautiful on you.' Francis smiled at the smaller man as Arthur lowered his head to hide the blush the compliment had brought on.

'Thank you, I think.' he chuckled and put out both his hands towards the fire in an attempt to warm them. Francis was a step ahead though, 'Are you cold?' he asked quietly and was answered with a small nod from the other man. He slowly reached out and took Arthurs hands in his, and while a bit hesitant at first, Arthur caved and just let it happen. The pirate gulped slightly but visibly as his hands were engulfed with warmth from Francis' natural body heat. The two men looked into each other's eyes for countless moments and Arthur felt nauseous from the butterflies that fluttered in his gut.

'For a fearsome pirate, you sure do have a soft side.' Francis joked as Arthur rolled his eyes and broke contact between them by pulling his hands back and standing up, 'I think that's enough for one night. I'm going to try and sleep. Goodnight Francis.' he lay down on a pile of palm tree leaves he had laid out to form a sort of bed and closed his eyes.

'Sweet dreams, mon amour.'

* * *

 **Translations**

'Cela fait mal, mais tant que vous êtes ici, j'aime ce qu'il fait sommes des âmes sœurs jusqu'à la fin. Je t'aime et n'ose pas m'oublier' - 'It hurts, but as long as you are here, I love how it hurts. We are soulmates until the end. I love you, and don't you dare forget me.'

'Émeraude' - Emerald

'Mon Amour' - My Love


	4. Part Four - Amour Non-Réciproque

Days passed as quickly as ever while Arthur and Francis still lay stranded upon the unknown island. Their budding friendship blossomed into what Arthur preferred to call a 'companionship'.

On the day that marked a fortnight of them being lost, an interesting event occurred that changed the nature of their 'companionship' from then on. Francis had told Arthur he was going deeper into the woods to try and source some more food for them back at the makeshift camp they had creatively put together. Well, it was functional, not really an aesthetic piece to look at.

As Francis walked, Arthur stayed back at the camp to look after the place and keep the fire going. After hours with no sign of the Frenchman's return, Arthur got quite worried and abandoned the beachside to search for him.

A sudden whimper came from behind a large bush and when the pirate parted the leaves, rather hesitantly for fear of battling an untamed animal, he gagged and yelped in shock when he saw Francis' shattered ankle that was completely misshapen, the bone had physically been _curved_. Arthur felt something pull at his heartstrings when he saw the tears streaming down Francis' cheeks as he sat there holding his leg in complete agony.

The other turned away to get himself together for a quick moment and then parted the bush, running to Francis' aid. 'Mon Dieu,' Arthur mocked in a French accent, 'What the _HELL_ happened?' As a pirate, he was used to guts and gore but for some reason this made his stomach turn. He was feeling sympathetic to the pain the other man was in. A feeling he had, to his memory, never felt before.

'I-I climbed the tree to pick the berries up there but then I couldn't get down again so I had to resort to just...jumping down. I stupidly lowered my right leg and landed directly on the ankle before I made a slight curve and heard a really loud crack. I didn't realize what happened until I opened my eyes and just... the pain is unbearable, Arthur.' Francis sighed and wiped the tears from his cheeks as he sniffled in embarrassment at the fact that he was crying in front of someone.

Arthur looked up at the tree and back down at him, 'That is SO high up! Why didn't you just yell for help?' he rolled his eyes as he already knew the answer to that question. 'Well, as beautiful as I am, I did not want to be the damsel in distress.' Francis laugh-cried his horribly timed answer. The Englishman tutted at his reply and leaned over to the tree trunk where he grabbed two sticks and pulled a very large leaf from the bush they were behind. 'This is going to hurt.' he informed his patient as he took in a very deep breath. Francis squeezed his eyes shut, 'You know, this would be so much lovelier if you wore a maid dress.' he joked as he clung to Arthur for dear life.

The pirate grabbed his ankle and in one swift move, he snapped it back into place, inducing an extremely loud scream from Francis. 'You deserved that for the lewd jokes.' Arthur whispered as he tied the two sticks and the leaf together around the broken ankle as a makeshift cast. 'Oh great, you're not the damsel in distress yet I still have to carry you back to the camp.' he sighed, picking up Francis by the back and legs, bridal style. 'I can just lean on you and hop back to the camp if this is too much physical contact for one day, mon amour.' protested the Frenchman.

 **Three little words**

 **That's all that I've got**

 **Three little words,**

 **Like it or not**

'No, I have no problem carrying you.' Arthur tried to fight the blush creeping from his heart to his cheeks as he mentally berated himself for allowing this to happen. He wasn't supposed to feel this way but for some reason, as wrong as it was, this moment felt so right. He felt like this is where he was always meant to be, holding Francis so close to him.

Once they had gotten back to camp, Arthur amiably placed him down on the log they used as a bench. Francis stared, deep in thought, at the fire that was going out as the pirate threw more wood onto the low flames and sat down beside him. They sat for what felt like an hour in complete and utter silence as Arthur stared at the Frenchman thinking.

'What are you thinking about?' he asked Francis.

'Amour non-réciproque' he answered, sighing to himself as he looked across at Arthur, gazing into his eyes with a soft smile.

'And that means?' the other man questioned him, secretly hoping this shortlived conversation would lead to something bigger.

'Unrequited love.' Francis translated, looking back down at the, now blazing, fire.

* * *

This chapter is super short and sweet bc I just wanted to get in an update after AGES. There's gonna be a lot more action in the next chap & SORRY AF for the lack of updates I literally started this fic the busiest time for me but I've gotten back into fic writing again (Of course three weeks before my final exams before college) and I've started a new Hetalia fic called Where The Good Men Go (RusAme) its on both here and AO3 so go check it out if u want aye.


	5. Part Five - Lovestruck

Silence sat between the two of them as Arthur kept repeating Francis' translation over and over again in his head.

He thought of his friends and his crew back in Nassau. How would they see him? Would they ridicule him? Of course not, he was their captain who made them rich beyond their wildest dreams. They couldn't possibly turn on him so quickly...could they?

Unbeknownst to him, his Quartermaster Alfred had already found the crew a new captain when Captain Kirkland was reported 'dead' on the island after the tragic battle.

He then thought back to earlier that evening when he was carrying Francis back to the beach. Everything in that moment felt more right than every single time he laid with a woman in the islands brothel combined. His heart and head began to conflict as he couldn't deem right from wrong.

He snapped out of his thoughtful reverie when he felt a cool hand come into contact with his warm cheek, 'C'est d'accord, Arthur, there is no need to stress about it. This is not the first time I have had this happen and it will not be the last.' Francis seemed sure that Arthur did not share any feelings for him but the pirate himself didn't even know anymore.

Arthur unconsciously leaned into the hand on his cheek but quickly pulled away again when he realised what he was doing. This, of course, induced a giggle from the Frenchman as he shook his head and turned back to stare into the fire before him. Arthur blushed intensely and wished it upon his body to stop.

He took a long look at Francis and only then began to notice things he hadn't noticed before. The way his powder blue eyes slowly opened and closed with long, soft eyelashes encompassing them. His light-blonde stubble that graced his lower cheekbones and chin. His sandy blonde hair which was curled back into a low ponytail clipped with a fancy sapphire-crystal brooch which matched his outfit by colour.

Arthur began trailing off, staring intently at Francis' hands which were interlaced in his lap. He wondered if they were as soft to touch as they looked. He noticed how numerous scars were littered across his fingers and knuckles, no doubt from trying to escape his abusers back in Bordeaux.

He noticed how- 'I know I'm beautiful Capitaine, there is no need to stare.' Francis chuckled heartily as he made Arthur jump in surprise. 'Ah, sorry, I-I got carried away.' he nervously stuttered, rubbing his hands together awkwardly.

'Come on Kirkland, pull yourself together! You're a fearsome pirate, not some lovestruck little boy!' he scolded himself, eyes widening as he realised he just referred to himself as 'lovestruck'.

Francis thought it was hilarious but Arthur was _not_ laughing. He didn't know what to do with himself and continued to debate his emotions in his head.

A long time ago, when Arthur was just a boy, his mother had told him to always follow his gut and live for himself, not for the world. He came to a junction: kiss Francis and find out if his feelings are true or if it's confusion _OR_ not act upon anything and live out the rest of his days wondering what could have been?

Francis, on the other side of the log, was still laughing to himself. Arthur grabbed his hands from his lap and held them lightly in his own.

'I am aware of what I said when we first got here. I called you a sinner for what's in your heart. But as of late, I've been feeling the same for you as what you feel for me.' He started, taking slow, deep breaths with every sentence to calm himself down.

 **Tell me you noticed?**

 **Tell me you heard?**

 **For you, I'd have run to**

 **The ends of the Earth**

'I know I'm feared by civilisation as a whole but for some reason, I fear the thought of scaring you and only you. I've been fighting with myself in my head this whole time over whether or not I should act on my emotions and well-' Francis cut him off by capturing him in a soft and passionate kiss. Arthurs' eyes went wide for a moment before snapping shut as his eyebrows furrowed and breath hitched.

Francis' grip on the pirates' hands tightened right before he pulled away and released him.

He stared at Arthur's shocked visage for a moment before clearing his throat and nervously pulling at his collar.

Arthur's expression softened and he smiled at Francis.

'That felt right.' he whispered to himself.

'I know.' the Frenchman replied, a deep red blush lacing his face.

* * *

'C'est d'accord' - 'It is okay'

sooo i know i said this chapter was gunna have more action but in my defense i never specified what KIND of action so hey its something. ik its out of character for a bigass macho pirate (sarcasm dw) to be like 'Oh im def gay lets kiss right now' but i have always hated slow burns and it was getting to that point so for my own ship-sanity i had to hurry it up with some totally deep wiseness on Arthur's end. ik there's not much happening rn but dw the next/last half of chapters will have a lot more ACTUAL action and plot.


End file.
